Evangeline Lilly anxious over Hobbit role

Evangeline Lilly fears "purist" fans will hate her role in The Hobbit because her character didn't feature in the book and was invented solely for the fantasy film adaptation.

The Lost actress' Sylvan elf Tauriel was created especially for director Peter Jackson's upcoming Lord of the Rings prequel, based on J.R.R. Tolkien's classic novel The Hobbit.

But Lilly admits she is terrified Tolkien devotees won't respond well when the movie epic is released next year (12).

She says, "The Hobbit didn't include female characters at all. I can see why additional characters were needed to round out the story as an adaptation, especially female characters.

"I am very concerned that people will watch and I'll be the black mark on the film. I know how adamant the purists are and I'm one of them."

Lilly was announced in June (11) as the latest addition to the male-dominated cast, featuring Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Hugo Weaving and Lord of the Rings regulars Sir Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood and Orlando Bloom.